Moistened wipes or towelettes are well known, as are arrangements for heating such articles. The devices disclosed in the following U.S. patents and patent publications are believed to be representative of the current state of the art in this field: U.S. Pat. No. 4,857,708, issued Aug. 15, 1989, U.S. Pat. No. 5,036,178, issued Jul. 30, 1991, U.S. Pat. No. 5,004,894, issued Apr. 2, 1991, U.S. Pat. No. 6,526,873, issued Mar. 4, 2003, U.S. Pat. No. 6,170,389, issued Jan. 9, 2001, U.S. Pat. No. 4,943,705, issued Jul. 24, 1990, U.S. Pat. No. 5,210,396, issued May 11, 1993, U.S. Pat. No. 5,736,714, issued Apr. 7, 1998, U.S. Pat. No. 5,842,287, issued Dec. 1, 1998, U.S. Design Pat. No. D390,645, issued Feb. 10, 1998, U.S. Patent Publication No. US 2003/0155343, published Aug. 21, 2003, and U.S. Patent Publication US 2002/0030045, published Mar. 14, 2002.
As will be seen below, the apparatus of the present invention incorporates structural features and cooperative relationships which are not taught or suggested by the known prior art, whether taken alone or in combination. Such features and their cooperative relationships contribute to the efficient operation of the subject apparatus.